"So we're quits," said Harriet. "Let's shake hands; let's be pals." "It's nice of you to forgive," said Ralph. "Oh, that's nothing," replied Harriet. "If you but knew me, you'd consider that I am quite the nicest girl in the school." "Are you really?" "Yes; but what do you think, after all, of getting up? I have such a wonderful plan of spending our day together." "Have you?" said Ralph. "A delicious plan; you can't guess how you will enjoy yourself." "Can't I, really?" "Hadn't you better get up. You can wash yourself, you know." "Oh, I never washed myself yet," said Ralph. "Well, you'll have to begin some time. I'll sit and stare out of the window, and you can pop into your tub, and have a good splash; I don't care a bit if you wet the floor; manly boys can't be always thinking of those sort of things. Now, then, up you get, and I'll stare out of the window." Harriet suited the action to the word. Ralph saw a long, narrow back and very thin light hair only partly concealing it. He observed that the lanky little figure sat very still. He felt impressed, much more impressed than he had been when kind Frederica and unselfish Patience, and even pretty, pretty Rose Amberley had been his school-mothers. They had been commonplace--quite nice, of course, but nothing special. The lanky person was not commonplace. He hopped up with a little shout, washed and dressed himself after a fashion, and then went up to Harriet. "Well, pal," she said, just glancing at him, "are you ready?" "Quite," said Ralph. "I like you to call me your pal. You're a very big girl compared to me, aren't you?" "You're not a girl at all," said Harriet; "you're a very manly boy, and you're awfully pretty; don't you know that you are very pretty?" "No," said Ralph, turning scarlet, "and boys ought not to be pretty; I hate that." "Well, then, you're handsome. I'll show you your face in the glass presently. But come down now. I am allowed to do just what I like with you to-day, and we're going to have such a good time!" The beginning of the good time consisted in having a real picnic breakfast out of doors. Ralph and Harriet collected twigs and boiled the kettle in one corner of the paddock. It didn't matter to Harriet that the paddock was rather damp and cold at this hour, and it certainly did not matter to Ralph, who was wildly excited, and quite forgot everything else in the world while he was trying to light the dry wood. Really, Harriet was nice; she did not even mind his having matches. "They never allowed me to have matches before I came here." "You can put them in your pocket, if you like," said Harriet. "Manly boys like you should not be kept under. You wouldn't burn yourself on purpose, would you?" "Of course not." "Have you a knife of your own?" "No; Father says I'm rather young." "But you're not; I'll give you a knife if you like. I have an old rusty one upstairs with a broken blade. You shall have it."